Overview

Bentonite is Hydrated Aluminium Silicate having typical physical properties like Swelling, Plasticity & Water Absorption. Mineralogical name of Bentonite is “Montmorillonite”, designated by the chemical formula (Al,Fe1.67Mg.33)Si10(OH)2Na(+)Ca(++)/2.33. Montmorrilonite composition consists of two basic building blocks of alumina octahedral sheet and one silica tetrahedral sheet.

We find both type of Bentonite i.e Calcium & Sodium based. The color of the clay varies as cream, light green, reddish tinge, tannish brown to dark brown based on deposits which are mainly occur along the contact zones of Deccan trap & Laterite formations, in some places also occurs below the deccan traps. Age of the Kutch Bentonite of lower pileocene (65 Million Years)